Thousands board free buses in Aberdeen

More than 6,000 people used free night buses from Aberdeen City Council which went to key destinations across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire at weekends in November and December and Hogmanay. They saw week-on-week growth on the lead up to Christmas due to increased footfall in the city centre and increased awareness of the service.

The buses on Hogmanay carried the most people on any single day of operation with 841 passengers. The two most busy weekends were 14 and 15 December with 1,156, and 21 and 22 December with 1,013.

Aberdeen City Council paid First Bus to operate the ten routes on the services, which were funded from bus lane enforcement revenue.

“It was fantastic to be able to help so many people travel to and from Aberdeen city centre in a sustainable, cost-effective way” – David Adam, Operations Manager for First Aberdeen

David Adam, Operations Manager for First Aberdeen, said: “We were delighted to see thousands of people use the night bus services in Aberdeen over the festive period and to see the numbers grow every week until the final weekend.

“It was fantastic to be able to help so many people travel to and from Aberdeen city centre in a sustainable, cost-effective way, while allowing us to play our part in supporting the city’s night-time economy during one of their busiest times of the year.”

The provision of weekend night bus services will be reviewed by the City Council after this initial trial period.